Lymphoma is one of the most common types of cancer, with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma making up about 4% of all cancer cases in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Although treatment methods like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are able to treat the cancer, researchers still actively study this cancer to gain a better understanding of it to develop new targeted treatment methods.
Researchers from the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital have been studying new therapies for the cancer using T-cells, research that they will continue with the assistance of a new $11.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. (Image courtesy of TexasPathologistMSW ia Wikimedia Commons)
This grant is the third the center has received from the Socialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) from the NCI, with the previous grants being received in 2007 and 2012. The grant will allow the Houston researchers to continue their research of T-cell immunotherapies to treat lymphoma by using T-cells and Natural Killer T-cells (NKT). Using these two types of cells, the researchers will target different lymphoma antigens, increase the effect that immunotherapies that use these cells have, gain a better understanding of how lymphoma cells evade the immune system, and eventually find ways to more broadly use these immunotherapy methods
"The SPORE award is unique in that it encouraged collaboration by bringing together basic and clinical investigators, along with the core resources, that have a long history of productive translational research. We are thrilled to continue our work through the SPORE grant to advance our understanding of lymphoma," explained Dr. Helen Heslop, director of the Baylor Center for Cell and Gene Therapy.
(Image courtesy of David Daniel Turner via Wikimedia Commons)
Baylor College of Medicine is one of 3 medical schools included in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston. These 3 schools, along with 21 hospitals, 13 support organizations, 8 academic and research institutions, 6 nursing programs, 3 public health organizations, 2 universities, 2 pharmacy schools, and 1 dental school make TMC the largest medical complex in the world.
In total, all the institutions that make up the Texas Medical Center have received more than $1.7 billion in life science funding. Institutions in the center that received substantial amounts of this funding in the 2016 fiscal year include:
- Baylor College of Medicine - $252.2 million
- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - $124.4 million
- University of Texas Health Science Center - $87.8 million
With so much funding and so many world-class institutions, it is no surprise that TMC is a thriving marketplace for life science laboratory suppliers to meet with active life science researchers. Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. holds an annual BioResearch Product FaireTM Event in Houston that gives lab suppliers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with more than 400 of these active life scientists in a matter of hours. The 18th Annual BioResearch Product FaireTM Event at the Texas Medical Center will be held on January 25th, 2018.
To learn more about marketing lab supplies at this premiere TMC event, visit the link below:
Researchers in Houston interested in finding the best new tools and technologies available to use in their labs are encouraged to attend this complimentary event. To learn more, and to pre-register, visit the link below:
